Scientists place a price on warming

Marc KaufmanThe Washington Post

Published Saturday, May 05, 2007

WASHINGTON -- An international panel of scientists for the first time Friday put a price tag on what it would take to avoid the worst effects of global warming, concluding that the effort would be affordable and would be partially offset by both economic and other benefits.

The most ambitious effort, one aimed at stabilizing the level of greenhouse gases from fossil fuels by 2030, would require measures that would add $100 to the costs associated with each ton of carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere, said the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In a telephone news conference, several participants estimated that would translate into the equivalent of an increase in gasoline prices of about one dollar a gallon over a number of years.

Despite the likely cost, the consensus report of most of the world's governments said that nations had no choice but to act. "If we continue doing what we are doing now, we are in deep trouble," said Ogunlade Davidson, co-chair of group responsible for the "mitigation" report, the third in recent months.

Immediately, however, the White House issued a statement rejecting the more ambitious options outlined by the report. Referring to the highest-cost scenario, James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said it "would, of course, cause global recession, so that is something that we probably want to avoid."

Overall, the panel's report said, blunting the consequences of global warming will require changing lifestyles, increased prices for basics including gasoline and electricity, and a much greater investment in research and development by governments.

The impacts of those costs, however, will be significantly lessened by the benefits of a less carbon-dependent economy, including a less polluted environment, more secure sources of energy, and in some cases reduced consumer costs as more energy-efficient cars, appliances and houses become available, said the report, based on the work of about 2,000 scientists worldwide.